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Global Heritage Fund Announces Continued Sponsorship From Leading Private Companies For The Preservation Of The Cultural And Natural Heritage Of Mirador Basin

June 20, 2008

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Global Heritage Fund Announces Continued Sponsorship From Leading Private Companies For The Preservation Of The Cultural And Natural Heritage Of Mirador Basin

GHF and 8 Central American Companies Are Increasing Total Commitment to $6 Million (2006-10) for Mirador Basin to Help Save The Cradle of Maya Civilization and the Last Major Intact Tropical Forests of Guatemala

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA – June 20, 2008 - Global Heritage Fund (GHF), the Foundation of Cultural and Natural Maya Patrimony (PACUNAM) and the Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES) announce new major private-sector commitments to conservation of Mirador Basin, the largest new proposed national park in Central America, in alliance with the Government of Guatemala. This is the first time that major industrial groups have combined forces in Guatemala to realize a major new national park and conservation program for cultural and natural heritage of the country.

From 2006 to 2010, over $6.0 million in conservation funding will be committed by Global Heritage and PACUNAM, a new association whose members include eight of Central America’s leading businesses. The conservation and community development program funded by GHF and PACUNAM is being coordinated through the Multi- Sectorial Roundtable representing over 80 stakeholders from local communities, existing logging concessions, international and local NGOs, the private sector and government officials, including the Office of the President of Guatemala, the Congress and all key Ministries- Culture, Environment and Development.

The Mirador Archaeological and Wildlife Preserve is a proposed 800,000 acre protected area located in the heart of the Maya Biosphere in Peten, northern Guatemala. Mirador is home to the earliest and largest Preclassic Maya archeological sites in Mesoamerica, including the largest pyramid in the world-La Danta. Experts now refer to Mirador Basin as the Cradle of Maya Civilization. Dr. Richard Hansen, Senior Scientist of the Institute of Mesoamerican Studies of Idaho State University and President of FARES, leads the Mirador Project. Mirador Basin is surrounded by a karstic mountain range which naturally delimits both the preserve’s natural system and ancient Maya cultural borders.

“Two of the most important prerequisites for successful long-term protection are community involvement and private-sector leadership,” says Jeff Morgan, Executive Director of Global Heritage Fund. “To save Mirador, the Multi-Sectorial Roundtable and PACUNAM are working together providing these two essential institutional frameworks. Another critical element for Mirador’s long-term survival is jump-starting an economic engine from ‘Archaeo-Tourism’ which, like Tikal National Park, will provide needed income to local populations to replace looting, poaching, trafficking and logging as primary economic activities. We are working to enable local communities to be the stewards for Mirador’s long-term protection.”

Work at Mirador started over 30 years ago as an archaeological and research effort exploring the earliest Maya societies. In the past five years, with the support of GHF and PACUNAM, Mirador has grown to one of the world’s largest conservation and community development initiatives.

This year, Guatemala’s President Alvaro Colom declared his support for the “4 Balam” national park would include Mirador at its center and stretch East and West for 18-22 thousand square kilometers covering over 4,000 ancient Maya settlements, temples, pyramids, tombs and observatories. The project is expected to produce thousands of permanent jobs and to increase regional and national income from national and international tourism. Tikal National Park today generates over $240 million a year in revenue for the country.

The Guatemalan government is now committing major new investments in park infrastructure, social services, security and park management. President Colom estimates the project will generate thousands of new jobs and will be a critical initiative to stop the destruction of the Maya Biosphere through deforestation, wildlife poaching and looting of artifacts which is destroying the last Maya forests and ancient cities.

Eight of Guatemala’s most important corporations have united with GHF and FARES in this effort including: Cementos Progreso, Wal-Mart-Centroamérica, Fundación Pantaleón, Cervecería Centroamericana, Banco Industrial, Telgua/Claro, Disagro, and Citi Latin America. This is the first time that multiple major Guatemalan companies have formed a joint association (PACUNAM) to provide support for the conservation and sustainable development of the country’s cultural and natural patrimony.

PACUNAM and GHF are working to attract other leading Latin American and international companies and organizations to join to help save the Mirador Basin for future generations, and to bring long-term benefits to the Guatemalan people, especially those of the Peten region. In June 2008, Citi Latin America became the newest member of PACUNAM, answering the challenge for more companies to be directly involved in helping save Guatemala´s last major intact tropical forests and the origins of Maya civilization.

About PACUNAM

The Foundation of Cultural and Natural Maya Patrimony (PACUNAM) looks to become Guatemala’s leading foundation in the preservation of Mayan natural and cultural heritage by combining the efforts of companies, businessmen and individuals. With a long-range planning, its mission includes education, recovery, maintenance, protection and advertising of Mayan natural and cultural heritage, by promoting a responsible, sustainable and profitable Tourism.

The Foundation’s values are: To fulfill its vision and mission, to promote multisectoral cooperation, publication of information and of acquired knowledge and Archeological and Ecological investigations. Its primary objectives are to support the Cuenca Mirador Project in order to attract sustainable tourism that benefits Guatemalans’ wellbeing in general, and of Peten people in particular. Founding members since 2006 are Cementos Progreso, Wal- Mart Central América, Ingenio Pantaleón, Cervecería Centroamericana, Banco Industrial, Telgua/Claro and Disagro and Citi Latin America.

About FARES

Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies

The Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), scientific research institution and public charity formed in January 1996 whose primary function is to conduct scientific research on ancient and contemporary societies and associated environments and to utilize this research for development, conservation, and education. FARES is currently working in close collaboration with the government of Guatemala and numerous foundations and institutions throughout the world. The organization employs a comprehensive developmental approach to form a strong, multidisciplinary, and systematic approach to understanding human behavior and cultural relationships with the environment from both an ancient and contemporary perspective.
Web site: http://www.miradorbasin.com

About Global Heritage Fund

Global Heritage Fund is an international conservancy dedicated to preserving endangered world heritage sites in developing countries to improve lives of local people. GHF enables successful, long-term preservation of the developing world’s most important archaeological sites and ancient townscapes in developing countries, creating new opportunities for economic growth. To achieve this, Global Heritage Fund deploys a well-proven Preservation by Design methodology: 1) comprehensive master conservation planning, 2) sustained preservation through local community involvement, 3) excellence in scientific conservation, and 4) partnerships and complementary funding. Global Heritage Fund is a registered non-profit international conservancy based in Palo Alto, California.

Archeo-tourism is a new concept based on Global Heritage Fund’s experience in Guatemala. It integrates conservation and development by working closely with local communities to help save their endangered archaeological sites and natural environment. Similar to Eco-tourism, Archeo-tourism has a great potential for long-term protection of the site and economic development in the community. Archeo-tourism in Tikal National Park combines archaeology and nature and is responsible for over $240 million in annual revenues for Guatemala, while successfully protecting Tikal from the massive deforestation, wildlife poaching and archaeological looting which plagues the entire Peten region. Web site: http://www.globalheritagefund.org.